Over the years, Tom Roarty and Ms. Patricia Belenski, both wannabe’s kissing up to Mayor Gonnelli, brought up charges made against me back in January 1970.

These charges have come up against me every time I run/ran for the Board of Education. The record will show that last year both took out petitions to run for the Board and for some mysterious reason, failed to file. The record will also show that Pat Belinski now has a position on the town payroll, Roarty does not. Could that be the reason for the confrontation he is now having with Councilman Constantino and Mayor Gonnelli?

Question: Who will the mayor get to run against me in this year’s B of Ed election? Could it be a Riverside Court resident by the name of Charles Bremer?

Permit me to explain my rationale. In a letter to column, (Dec. 16), Mr. Charles Bremer, a Riverside Court resident, stated his being at ‘odds’ with me over the position I have taken regarding the Board busing Riverside Court Students. I have no problem with criticism. However, I do have a problem with his echoing the perception that Mayor Gonnelli continually uses when referring to me. That perception being that I speak out against him on various issues “as my enjoying picking fights for the sake of picking them.” That’s “character association”. That perception of me is wrong. No matter how much Mr. Charles Bremer may mock my beliefs, I intend to stick to issues that I believe bona fide. The record shows that my new critic, Mr. Bremer, will discover that he, like many others before him, were the ones who were on the wrong when they attacked me on this busing issue.

For the record: I am more concerned with my character than with my reputation. You see character is what you really are. Your reputation is merely what others perceive you to be. I take criticism with a grain of salt. I refuse to get caught up in other people’s perception of me. Good or bad. I believe that my strength comes from how I respond to criticism. Bottom line is that I will continue speaking out on issues. Issues I believe must be addressed in the town of Secaucus and in our school system. I never allowed “character assignation” interfere with what I could do.